Cougars stress tempo for lagging offense
Ball security a key as mind-set shifts following losses
TAMPA, Fla. — For a majority of last week’s game, the University of Houston went with an uptempo offense to keep the Memphis defense on its heels.
Coach Major Applewhite refers to the faster pace as “Call It ’N Haul It.”
“After the game, I told (offensive coordinator Brian Johnson) that’s the rhythm, that’s the tempo that I want us to play with,” Applewhite said. “I want us to play faster. I want to get formations lined up quicker.”
Going with an up-tempo offense is nothing new in college football, and the Cougars have run some variation that has produced lots of points and yards through the years.
Offense on the mend
The Memphis game marked the first time this season that UH has been committed to pushing the tempo for nearly an entire game.
The results, even in a 4238 loss to the No. 25 Tigers, were encouraging — 38 points and season highs in yards (554) and offensive plays (95). UH had 12 “explosive plays,” which Applewhite defines as a run of at least 12 yards and a pass of 16 or more yards.
“We were more consistent on offense,” said Applewhite, whose team faces a stiff challenge against No. 17 South Florida on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. The Cougars are trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2013.
Johnson said the Memphis game — in which the Cougars twice held a 17-point lead — was “probably the most complete” in terms of up-tempo offense all season. In terms of scheme, the plays are the same as the Cougars have run this season. The difference has been the ability to hurry up and get plays off faster or slow things down to keep defenses guessing.
“You can jump to fifth gear and bring it back down to first,” Johnson said. “The whole objective is to try and make the defense uncomfortable and make them play faster than they want to.”
The Cougars are averaging 23.8 seconds per play this season. For comparison, Memphis leads the nation at 20.3 seconds and South Florida is 13th at 22.3 seconds.
“We want it where the guys aren’t sitting there forever and the defense can diagnose what you are doing,” Applewhite said. “I want to continue to play with more pace.”
When to go more uptempo has been influenced with a switch at quarterback, with Kyle Postma starting the last four games.
“It’s about getting more accustomed to Kyle,” Applewhite said. “Really, so much of how you call a football game is how your quarterback sees it.
“You have to be tethered with him and how he sees it and not put him in situations that he doesn’t like or he’s not good at. As the relationship develops, that will happen.”
Room for improvement
UH (4-3 overall, 2-2 American Athletic Conference West division) is 33rd nationally in passing offense (270.4) and 45th in total offense (443.3). Scoring
points has been a challenge at times, with the Cougars ranked 74th at 27.3 points per game. At the current pace, UH would finish with its lowest season scoring average since 2004 (20.9).
Of course, playing uptempo won’t matter if the Cougars don’t stop a recent trend of turnovers. Postma had two turnovers in the final minute in the loss to Memphis, and Houston
has 11 in the three losses.
“It’s a turnover, and it counts on me and goes on me,” Postma said. “You’ve just got to take care of the ball.”
The Bulls (7-0, 4-0 AAC), tied for first in the AAC East Division, have scored at least 30 points in 24 straight games, a modern era record.